News Details

Major Vetoed Legislation

11/17/2014

Of the 234 Senate Bills and 268 House Bills sent to the Governor’s desk for consideration during the spring legislative session, just 11 were vetoed this year. Notable vetoes that may be reconsidered during the veto session include one measure that would establish regulations for ridesharing companies like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar. Another measure that would have brought uniformity to speed limits on interstates and toll highways was also vetoed by Quinn.

Ridesharing Veto

Vetoes on two pieces of legislation dealing with ridesharing, House Bill 4075 and House Bill 5331, may be up for the General Assembly to override during veto session. Both pieces of legislation concern safety regulations for companies like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar, which offer an alternative to traditional taxi companies by offering rides to customers who connect through smart phone applications.

House Bill 4075 imposed new statewide safety regulations on the companies. Proponents argued that the requirements were needed to assure customer safety by establishing insurance requirements and banning agreements that exempt the companies from liability.

While the original measure imposed greater restrictions on drivers who worked more than 18 hours a week, the companion bill, House Bill 5331, allowed drivers to “bank” that time, so that they could work more hours during weeks when special events occurred without triggering the higher restrictions.

Governor Quinn vetoed both measures, claiming regulation of these types of services needs to remain at the local level. He stated that statewide regulation should be initiated only when it becomes evident that the issues cannot be properly address by local governments.

Speed Limit Veto

Also vetoed was Senate Bill 2015, a follow-up measure to legislation that raised the speed limit on interstate highways in Illinois to 70 mph in January, which is consistent with most other states, including almost all Midwestern states.

Senate Bill 2015 would have brought the state’s Toll Highway system in the Chicago region up to the same 70 mph standard.

In vetoing the measure, the Governor argued that studies show more than 90 percent of tollway drivers exceed the speed limit by 11-15 miles per hour during non-rush hour times. However, proponents of the increase said that the statistics cited by the Governor actually make the case that the existing speed limit is too low and said it would make more sense to bring the speed limit up to a more reasonable level and enforce that higher speed limit.